Allotments 4 All

This pretty plant self-seeded in my garden and has been a magnet for bees and so I have left it undisturbed. Unfortunately it was rather windy a couple of days ago and it has toppled over and so will shortly be heading for the compost bin.

Before it does,could someone please confirm that it is borage?It is certainly a member of that family.

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Yes, it is. Love the stuff, so pretty and wonderful for bees.

It looks like borage to me.  It self sows around my small herb garden in just this way.

Yes looks like it to me- get the Pimms out ;)

Borage is great for bees, we have some hives on our allotments (well away from people and tucked away in a safe corner of our wildlife area reached only by a plank bridge over our stream) and our plants are coverd with bees - ours is also self sown.  If you have some seed pods on your plant you may want to take them off and dry them off so you have seed for next year.

True the bees love it. We seem to attract bumble bees to our plot rather than honey bees. to be honest I do prefer  them. Its lovely to watch them rolling around in the poppies and hollyhocks. They go from big bombers to the tiny little bumbles but so pretty

Thank you so much. I was pretty sure it was borage but good to have it confirmed. It hasn't reached the seed stage yet so I may try propping it up with a cane until it does. Mind you the bees might not like me intruding!! That's if the main stem hasn't been broken by the wind.

I've never drunk Pimm's so this is probably a good excuse to start! ;)

lovely plants, they self seed all over the place, the flowers taste good, too. The leaves are supposed to be anti cancer, they taste like cucumber but are very hairy  ;D
supposed to 'nurse' legumes, spinach, brassicas and strawberries,good companion plant and the bees are attracted to it like a magnet  :)

Now you have it, you will never be without it! I grow the white version as well, and the bees seem to like that even more if that is possible..... ;D

My allotment was in danger of being overtaken by borage this year! But it's easy to dig up or hoe off at the seedling stage, makes good compost and as you say, the bees love it- and I do too!

It's so beautiful isn't it?
I'm growing some from seed atm. Tough little seedlings, can cope with this scorching sun. It can take over if it wants - why not? Nettles, brambles, thistles, couch grass... what can one more hurt?  ::)

Weird how plants self-seed like crazy for some people and not others - last year I bought a borage plant and left it in the hope of getting lots of seedlings but none appeared. This has happened before so obviously not very impressed by my soil.

I planted a few my first year on the plot, and they're now a weed.